


Past The Final Hurdle

by Sethy



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: ALL THE FLUFF, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hospital, Purple Lotus, Redemption Hiroshi, Trans!Asami, Transition, happy tears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-21 04:11:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14908079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sethy/pseuds/Sethy
Summary: Asami has just had her gender confirmation surgery.





	Past The Final Hurdle

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Writerleft](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/gifts).



> This fic was an amazing experience to write. The research I did was all from Dutch Broshures that were very helpful, not only for writing this fic, but also to learn about a surgery that I am planning to undergo myself at some point.

You wake up, mind still groggy from the anesthesia. Korra is sitting next to you, holding your hand.

"Hey, sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" Her voice is full of love but her furrowed brows give away her concern.

"A little hazy." You take a moment to assess your body and take in how it feels. "My crotch is kinda numb, cold too. It feels weird. Thank the spirits for anesthesia."

"At least it doesn't hurt, so that's good.” Her brows unfurrow and the corners of her lips curl up a bit. “Is there anything you need?"

You’re too tired to do anything right now, even talking takes some effort. You softly squeeze Korra’s hand. "I just want to sleep now." Which really isn’t that hard since you’re already having a lot of trouble keeping your eyes open.

Korra leans forward and plants a tender kiss on your temple which brings a smile to your face. You love it when she kisses you in tender ways like this. "Of course Sams, I'll let you get some rest, you deserve it. And I love giving you kisses like these."

Of course the drugs made you say things that you meant to be thinking. You finally let your eyes slowly close and all your attention is on Korra's hands, one holding your hand like a lifeline, the other gently rubbing up and down your arm. Your mind is filled with thoughts of Korra as you drift back to sleep with a smile.

When you wake up again, it all dawns on you. The operation is over, you’ve passed the final hurdle, all that’s left is recovery and you’re there. You burst out in tears, sobbing quietly.

“Asami!” You hear Korra’s voice, she’s running to your bedside. Once she’s standing next to you, she puts her hand on your shoulder and lowers her voice. “Hey, why are you crying, what’s wrong?”

“It’s,” your voice breaks. “It’s over, the surgery is done. I’ve made it.” You grab hold of Korra’s shirt and cry into her chest.

Korra wraps her arms around you.”You did it ‘Sami, you made it.” She holds you for as long as you need, telling you how proud of you she is and how amazing you are.

 

***

 

It's day three of hospital bedrest and Korra has been there to keep you company every day. She has ignored the visiting hours completely, staying much longer than they would normally allow. But when you mentioned it yesterday she just said that she's the Avatar and you're her girlfriend, and that they would just have to deal with it.

She's not here today, you already knew that. She has some avatar business to do. When she told you about it yesterday she was pouting in the cutest of ways. It makes you happy to know that even though she would drop everything in an instant if something happened to you, she still knows that she can't ignore her duties to come to see you in the hospital.

You’re allowed to get out of your bed now. It’s a little uncomfortable to walk, but it beats lying in bed all day and it’s good for you. You’re also allowed to try to shower now if you want and you’re thinking about doing that later in the evening.

Soon you return to your hospital bed and slowly climb back on it. You open the laptop that Korra lovingly brought you along with some books you’ve been meaning to read on day one, and go through your email. You might be in the hospital, but you’re still a CEO, and a workaholic according to Korra. Still, people need you even when you’re gone and you don’t blame them.

There’s a knock on the door and as you look up, Bolin and Opal walk in with a bouquet of fire lilies. “Hey, Asami. We spoke with Korra earlier this week and decided to come visit you today, she did tell you we would, right?” Opal sits on a chair she pulled over as she was talking.

“Oh, yes she did.” You close your laptop and put it aside. “Don’t worry, I was just-”

“Working, of course you were Sams,” Bolin cuts you off and starts rambling, “Say, where can I put these flowers? Is there a vase somewhere? Did we have to bring our own vase? Should I buy one right now? You know what, I’ll go ask a nurse.” He then proceeds to walk back out of the room to find a nurse.

You're stifling a laugh when Opal speaks up. “So how are you doing?”

“I'm good, great actually. Walking might be a bit uncomfortable and sitting around gets kind of boring, but I feel better than ever.”

Opal smiles at you, her expression soft. “That's good, you look really happy. I still remember those days when you weren't.” She puts her hand on yours. “Those days when you didn't know why you weren't happy. And I saw that change when you finally figured it out. It looked like after years of hard work you finally found the solution to make your greatest invention work.”

She told you the same thing when you had just come out to her. Your eyes start getting wet and you already know that this is going to end in tears. “Yea, like when I was born, I came with a blueprint and I just learnt how to read it.

Opal smiles, when you came out to her that’s what you said to explain the way you felt. “You started to become alive,” She says, her voice barely coming out

Opal is crying now and tears are  flowing down your cheeks too. “And then you met Korra.”

You smile at the memory. “I was less than a year on hormones and had started permanent hair removal even way before that. That's how sure I was about this.”

“And I was sure about it too because you had learnt to live. But you still weren't happy… Korra changed that.” Opal interjects.

You squeeze her hand hoping it conveys your gratitude. “When I first met Korra, she was hitting on me.” You chuckle. “I was so shocked, I couldn't believe that someone as gorgeous as her would want someone like me.”

“Really, Asami.” Opal laughs through her tears. “You were already so beautiful, how could you not believe someone would hit on you. But you were completely frozen. You're lucky to have a friend like me for talking for you and hooking you up with that first date.”

She chokes out a laugh and pulls out a pack of tissues. She blows her nose in one after wiping her eyes and cheeks dry with it.

She offers you a tissue, which you gladly take, and continues. “Then after your first date you called me squealing as I picked up. Apparently after you dropped her off, because of course you and your car riddled brain had to be the one driving, she kissed you and you couldn't shut up about it. You were going to have a second date and you told me that you wanted to have more than a second date, you wanted a third and a fourth and you wanted to see her outside of dates and then you panicked."

You look down at your hands.”I was so scared that she would reject me like my father did if she found out that I’m transgender. To prevent getting my heart broken, I decided to tell her on our next date so that if she didn’t want me after that, at least it would hurt less. So I invited her to my place so I could have at least a slight sense of comfort while breaking the news.

Opal scoffed. “You called me awake at 3am!”

Your head snaps up and you look at Opal again. “We watched movies until 2:30, and I let her crash on my bed because she was tired and I  didn't want her to head home that late on her own,” You retort, but even you know that your argument is weak.

“Really, Asami.” Opal snorts. ”You had a car, you could have given her a ride and she knew that. But that’s not the point. You called me at 3am, so excited to tell me just how incredibly supportive Korra was, and more so, she confessed that she too had thought about the prospect of more than just dating. It was like you had hit the jackpot, and truly, you did. Korra gave you the confidence you needed, and in turn received your heart.”

You smile shyly. “She’s given me so much more, and I’ve wanted to give her everything in return, I still do.” You love Korra so much, it sometimes feels like your heart will explode, even after all these years.

Opal smiles a wide smile. “You've grown so much, you’ve become so happy. And now you've jumped that last hurdle that you had set for yourself and look at you, you're positively glowing. I’m proud of you Asami.”

“Thank you Opal… for everything. You've helped me through so much and I can't thank you enough. You're the best friend a trans gal could ask for.” Tears are dripping from your chin, your cheeks are wet and you have a runny nose. You'd be embarrassed if not for your best friend, who is having the same situation, being the only other person in the room. It’s a miracle that with all this crying, neither of you really stumbled over your words.

The both of you take the time to clean yourselves up before joining in a long hug, some stray tears still escaping your eyes. “For a best friend, you're not so bad yourself.”

As if he knew, Bolin enters as you release each other. “Hey, I didn't really want to bother the nurses since they're already busy enough, so I decided to just buy a vase.”

You narrow your eyes at him, classic Bolin. Acting like he has no idea of what's going on. “You can't fool me, Bolin. I know you left to give us some time alone.”

“I have no idea what you're talking about Sams. I simply went to buy a vase for these fire lilies we brought for you.”

You laugh at Bolin's silliness, Opal and Bolin joining with their own laughter. “You're too sweet, Bo. And thank you for the flowers, they're my favorite.” You smile as Bolin hands you the bouquet and smell the flowers.

The rest of the visit goes by quickly. They stay for an hour or two before they decide it's time for them to leave. But before they do, Opal tells you that Mako will try to visit tomorrow, but isn't sure if he can because he's extremely busy with an important case. As soon as they're gone you take a nap.

 

***

 

It's day six. Yesterday the vaginal packing that was inserted to keep form after the surgery was removed and you were taught how to clean and dilate your new vagina. You had already done a lot of research before the operation, so you learnt quickly. When you started, the dilating felt very uncomfortable and a little bit painful. But you also felt some heavy weight lift off your shoulders, a great feeling of relief. This was it, you have a vagina, no more penis. You nearly cried on the spot, but you held it in until the nurses were gone and you were alone with Korra. You cried onto her shoulder for a long time, tears of happiness and relief drenching her shirt. You were kept in the hospital for the rest of the day to make sure that nothing would go wrong.

Today, you get to go home.

Korra has come to pick you up, you've already packed everything except the book you were reading while waiting. You're planning on reading it as soon as you get home so you might as well not pack it.

The ride home is comfortably silent and Korra holds your hand whenever she can. You’re looking forward to finally being at home again, to see Naga again. Once Korra has parked in the driveway you both take a moment to take in the fact that you’re back home.

Korra leans in and kisses you. “Welcome home. It felt so empty without you.”

You sigh into the kiss, remembering the times when Korra couldn’t get home for a while because of her avatar duties and how empty the house felt at those times. “I'm glad to be back.”

“Let's go inside then, I'm sure Naga will love having her favourite human back.” Korra laughs as you both get out of the Satomobile.

Naga does favour you a lot, but you’re still convinced that she only does that as thanks for making Korra as happy as she is. “Hey, I'm pretty sure she still loves you more.”

Korra shrugs and takes your hand, walking to the front door with you. “No matter who she loves more, today you're getting her full attention.”

“Full attention or not, she's going to have to take it easy on me for a while, which I'm afraid is something she can't do, being as excitable as she is.”

You stop at the door and wait for Korra to unlock it. Once she has she steps aside and gestures for you to open it. You do so, eying her with suspicion. Why would she specifically want you to open the door. Either she sees it as something important, opening the door home again as the new you; she’s pulling a prank, which as the most doting girlfriend she wouldn't do when your recovering. Or, it's a-.

“Surprise!” All your friends and Korra's parents appear as the lights turn on. There's a big banner saying ‘Welcome Home’, the place has been decorated with streamers, balloons and a big Transgender pride flag. “Welcome home, Asami!” they shout in unison.

At the same time, Naga starts barking and runs up to you, bouncing around you. She eventually rests next to you and starts licking your hand, signaling that she wants to be pet. You absentmindedly bring up your hand over her head and pet her.

Tears start to well up in your eyes, which has been happening a lot this week. You try to thank everyone for coming, but nothing is coming out of your mouth but choked sounds.

Mako comes up to you scratching his neck, the rest standing still, waiting. “Hey, Asami, sorry that I couldn't visit you yesterday. I- I wanted to, but the case I've working on was very time sensitive. I’m sorry, I would have liked to be there for you.”

You smile at him. “It's alright, Mako. You're here now, and it means a lot that you are.” You look over to the group of people gathered for your surprise. “All of you, thank you so much for this.” Your voice cracks mid sentence and you try to wipe away your tears after putting the book on a cabinet next to you. “It might just be a simple ‘welcome home’ surprise… but it means so much more to me.” You snivel. “Thank you.”

Suddenly, Korra comes out of the kitchen. You hadn't seen her slip past. She's walking towards you, holding a big cake in the colours of the transgender pride flag with five candles on it. One for each year to celebrate the day you realised that you are transgender.

When you came out to Korra, she supported and accepted you. She didn't ask questions about it then, she was too focused on reassuring you that everything was fine. That you are valid and she definitely still liked you and wanted to go out with you. A bit later in your relationship she asked the questions that she wasn’t sure she could ask before, one of which was when you realised. A couple of months later, you had just gotten home to her place after a date and she told you to sit down and wait. She then retrieved a cake with two candles on it. She said it was to celebrate the moment you realised you were transgender, ‘a sort of celebration for the birth of the real you so to speak’, she nervously told you then. You didn't know if you were supposed to cry at the gesture or laugh at her reasoning, and ended up doing both. Since then, you celebrated every year.

You had actually planned the surgery so you would be home before the anniversary. It's supposed to be in two days, but it seems that Korra had other plans.

Crying again, or still, you cover your mouth with your hands, Naga whining at the loss of your petting. “Korra, oh spirits.”

“Happy Transiversary, Asami.” Korra is standing right in front of you. “Make a wish.”

You wish that you will marry Korra one day, just like you wished last year. Just like you will wish every year until you feel ready to finally give her your everything. You take some time to compose yourself and blow out the candles.

“So what did you wish for, Babe?” Korra smiles at you. You love her smile, but you can’t tell her.

“Sorry, Babe, I really want this wish to come true.” You give her a quick kiss. You really do want your wish to come true and hopefully you feel ready for it soon.

“Fine. I won't ask again, but only if you give me another kiss.” Her smile turns into a smirk. A smirk that tells you she knows she’ll get the kiss that she’s asking for.

You chuckle, Korra is such a dork. “Alright, Ms. Smooth. A kiss to keep my wish.” You kiss her, this one lasting longer. And you don’t want to stop kissing her but you do, you have to for now. “I'm going to get my cushion from the car, could you make sure everyone's tended to?”

“Of course, you won't have to do a thing. Just sit down and have fun, Mom and I have this handled.” Korra walks back into the kitchen and Senna joins her. You get your ring seat cushion from the car and take a seat in the living room amidst everyone else.

The day goes well and you enjoy everyone's company. Naga lies next to you with her head in your lap as you absentmindedly pet her head. At one point Jinora comes up to you and asks you about the book you were holding when you came in. You tell her that it's the fifth book in a series by Writerleft. You explain a little about the series and what it's about. Then you start talking about the book, how it deals with the complexities of bad things coming from actions with good intentions. That it is a case study on responsibility. And your love for its focus on the development of the brilliant engineer. You offer to let her borrow the first book in the ‘Comes Marching Home’ series and to come back if she wants the rest.

When everyone starts leaving they all give you their congratulations followed by a hug. And soon it's just you, Korra, Tonraq and Senna. You talk for a little longer, the atmosphere being more peaceful now, before heading to bed.

You rest your head on korra’s chest as you get settled to finally sleep together again in a week. “Thank you, Korra. For everything.”

Korra kisses you on the top of your head. “Anything for you, Asami. I love you.”

You yawn. “I love you too, Korra.” and you fall asleep safely in Korra’s arms again.

 

***

 

The first week after you were released from the hospital, you decided to take it easy and work from home. This way you could get used to a schedule of having to rinse and dilate your new vagina alongside work hours. You quickly came to the conclusion that your habit of overworking had to be put on hold. You can't afford working late and forgetting to dilate or rinse.

Korra's parents decided to stick around for a while. They wanted to make sure you were okay, making sure you didn’t overexert your body And Naga joined you on walks when you needed to just move for a while. Tonraq joked that they were in need of a nice vacation and this was as good a reason as any to get out of the south pole. You and Korra definitely didn't complain, it's always nice to see Korra's parents and Senna’s cooking is sublime. You love Korra’s parents. The first time you met them and they accepted you open heartedly it made you think about Hiroshi and how he didn’t. That night Korra comforted you as you cried on her shoulder.

When you get back to your office it’s  littered with bouquets of flowers, chocolates, cards wishing you a speedy recovery and other gifts. All from employees, associates and investors. You make sure to personally thank everyone that left their name on their gift. You also make a company-wide announcement thanking everyone for their well wishes.

A week later, you’re hard at work when your secretary comes into your office. “It’s 5pm, Miss Sato, You should pack up and go home for the day.”

You look up from your work. “Thanks, I’m just going to finish this and then I’ll pack up.” Immediately you’re back to your work and the door closes shortly after.

Your sense of time leaves and soon the door opens again. “It’s already 6pm, Miss Sato. Time to finish up because I’m calling Korra to come get you.”

You don’t even look up, completely invested in your work. “I’m almost done, I’ll pack up soon.”

Before you manage to finish the door rushes open, startling you as you look up and see Korra. “Alright ‘Sams, it seems like I’m gonna have to take you home by force.”

She walks up to you and you scream and struggle in retaliation as she picks you up out of your chair and swings you over her shoulder. “Korra! Let me down, I have to finish this!”

Korra laughs as she carries you through Future Industries and to your car. “There’s no use in arguing Sams, you’re past your curfew. This was your idea, remember.”

You pout at Korra. She is right, this was your idea. “Fine!” you grumble. As you step into your car, you realise that you weren’t near as done with the thing you were working on as you had thought.

It has been three months now and Korra has only had to drag you home twice. You've diligently followed your rinsing and dilating schedules. You don't have to rinse every day anymore, but you still have to dilate twice a day. You don't really mind it much anymore, sure it's uncomfortable, but it has slowly made you feel very comfortable with your vagina. Dilating has helped make your vagina feel more like your own. This new comfort with your own body has helped you a lot. So much so that it’s given you the courage to broach a subject you’ve been wanting to with Korra. You were finally going to talk to her tonight. .

 

***

 

You have just finished dinner and it's the best moment you're going to have to broach the subject. Unless you end up vomiting due to your nerves.

“Korra, I've been thinking about something lately.” Korra visibly tenses up for a moment so you quickly add, “It's nothing bad.”

Korra visibly relaxes. “Alright, what is it?” She asks, her voice betraying how uncertain she is.

You try to dismiss her caution and start. “You know that I've taken a lot of time doing research to prepare myself for the surgery and more, right?”

“I do.” Korra answers shortly, she’s still defensive and uncertain about where this will lead.

You want to get to the point as fast as you can. “So you know how the hormones I've been taking cause your libido to drop, and mine became basically non-existent. You don't have to answer.” You sigh. “And I hadn't told you I did because I didn't want to get your hopes up. But I found something where several transgender people who had had their surgery talked about their libido slowly coming back.”

Korra seems to be processing what you just said. “So, you're saying that now that you've had your surgery, there's a chance that your libido will what? Start up again?”

You look down at the table, a little embarrassed. “Actually, I think it already has.” Your voice is soft, but Korra hears you.

“O-oh, I… oh. Okay. How do you, ehh… why do you say so?” She looks away as she stumbles over her words.

“Because I… I’ve been ehhm, feeling a little… horny lately. M- more than I've felt in years.”

Korra nods in response.

You look at Korra again, she’s blushing and trying not to look at you. “And remember that time I told you I was demisexual?”

Korra lights up a little. “Yea I do. You told me that you had thought that you were asexual, but when our relationship took off you started feeling… different, right?” Her face scrunches up a little, trying to recall more about that moment. “Like, you felt attracted to me sexually along with romantically is how you described it to me, I think.”

You can't help but smile, happy that she remembered it so well. “You're right. I felt closer to you than I had ever felt with anyone, and I still do.” You reach for her hand and hold it. “And it started something in me, I started feeling something that I had never felt before. There was this…  desire to feel you close to me, but in a different way than before. I wanted to feel you under me, writhing from my touch. Begging for me to touch you where you needed me most. I wanted to feel you on top of me, marking every part of my body and making me feel like I’m soaring.”

Korra squeezes your hand. “You also told me you weren't ready to have sex, and I told you that was okay. And it's still okay. We've had a sexless relationship for over three years. If I had any problem with that, you would have known about it.”

You sigh loudly. “And I was so grateful to you, still am. For being such an amazing girlfriend. You've accepted me wholeheartedly and I truly love you for that.”

You're silent for a while, focusing on the touch of Korra's hand, rubbing the back of her hand with your thumb.

“The reasons I wasn't ready were because I just didn't have a sex drive and I still had a penis,” your voice is soft, like you're telling a secret. After a second Korra's eyes go wide. “I don't think now is the right time, I want to be sure I'm all healed up. But it's definitely a thing for the future… if you want to of course.”

“Of course I do!” Korra exclaims enthusiastically, then tries to regain her composure. “I mean, I'm willing to try. Whenever you're ready.” She gets up to stand in front of you and kisses your forehead. “Now, I believe that after such an intense conversation like this, we should definitely go cuddle on the couch and watch a movie or something.”

You stand up and kiss her. “I call dibs on the movie.”

Korra drags you to the couch and you two get settled. “Hey, ‘Sami.”

You humm in response as you grab the remote.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Korra.”

 

***

 

You lean back in your chair and let out a sigh. There's not much work to do today and time has been passing by very slowly. It's now over nine months after your surgery. You look back at the past six months, after your talk with Korra not much has happened. Your dilating schedule has loosened up slightly and everything else has been going great. So great that it makes you feel like something is going to happen.

Just as you let out another sigh, your phone rings. It's your secretary, saying that some kind of support group wishes to speak with you. You tell her to connect them to you.

“Hello, this is Ms. Sato speaking.”

“Yes, hello Ms. Sato, I'm from the Purple Lotus support group for LGBTQ+. Am I calling at an inappropriate time?”

The Purple Lotus support group, you had browsed their website several times after you came out as transgender. They are a great source of information, not just for transgender people but for anyone in the LGBTQ+ community. They even have several group sessions for support, although you never went. It’s not like they would call you for having browsed their website so it’s weird that they’re calling you. “Your timing is fine, but may I ask why you are calling me?”

“Of course, there is someone with me here who would like to speak with you. He's been with our support group for almost two years now and has asked me to help calling you.”

Someone wants to talk to you? And asked a Purple Lotus member to help them contact you? You have been out as transgender for several years, that could be why. But it sounded like they expected that you wouldn’t want to speak with that person. “Would you mind telling me who it is that wants to speak with me?”

“It's Hiroshi Sato miss. And I would like to note that we both understand if you do not wish to speak to him.”

Of course they expected that you wouldn’t want to speak to him. The last time you spoke with your dad was when he stepped down as CEO and made you the new CEO of Future Industries, which was strictly business. The only way you talked months before that was when it was business related. He hadn't taken you coming out as transgender well and only treated you as his successor, no longer were you his child.

“Why would my dad want to talk to me after all these years?” Your tone is harsh. You really just want to hang up and be done with this, but you feel like you need to at least hear this person out.

“Sorry, of course. Hiroshi came to us almost two years ago telling us that he screwed up majorly and wanted to fix the mistakes he made. He told us about you coming out to him, and that he rejected you for it. He plead for us to help him understand the decision you made.”

You sigh, it seems like your premonition earlier was right, but you still don't know if this is good or bad. “But why now?”

“He has been making great strides ever since he showed up, showing great determination to change his view. He actually asked me if we could call you ten months ago, but I advised against it. Your surgery was approaching and we didn’t want to give you any extra stress until your life had settled down again. This is often around the nine month mark after surgery.”

This is a lot to take in. You have a decision to make. You really want to deny him this chance of reconciliation, but that would never get rid of the pain you feel every time that you’re reminded of him. Giving him this chance would give you the chance to heal this pain, but he has already gravely hurt you once and you’re scared that he could do it again. “I- I need time to think about this. Give me your number and I will call you back when I’m ready to give my answer.”

“Of course, one moment please.” The Purple Lotus member is silent for a moment, probably telling your dad what you just told them. When you hear them again, they give you their number. “I’ll be awaiting your call Miss Sato, please take your time to decide.”

You wish each other a good day and hang up. As soon as you do you take a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. You pick up the phone again to call your secretary and tell her you won't be working tomorrow.

 

***

 

The moment you get home you crash onto the couch and groan into a pillow. Your day hasn’t been very taxing but the call you got earlier took all of your energy. Your dad, after nearly five years of silence wants to reconnect with you. You’re not even sure what to feel now. He didn’t accept you for who you were when you told him, he rejected you and treated you like you weren’t his child anymore. You should resent him, want nothing more to do with him, deny him of any chance at contacting you. But the person on the phone told you he has realised that he messed up, that he’s been trying to learn about people like you. He’s been learning to accept you for who you are. You want so desperately for that to be true. He’s done you wrong, but if he’s realised and wants to right what he has done, shouldn’t you try to give him a chance? What good could come from denying him the chance to prove that he can be a good dad again.

“What's up, Babe?” Korra crouches down next to you to look at your face. “You look torn.”

You groan again. “It's not fair, why do you always know why I'm upset?!”

“Cause I'm the Avatar.” Korra grins. “But really, what's got you so torn.” She brushes some hair from your face and rests her hand on the side of your head. “Talk to me.”

“You're not gonna like it.” She won't, she hates your dad for what he's done and she won't like that you're thinking about maybe giving him a chance again.

Korra's expression turns more serious and she seems to be in thought. Then she smiles softly. “Whether I'll like it or not, I still want to hear it, maybe it could help to talk to me about it.”

You love this side of Korra, you love every side of Korra. But this, her undying support, not just for you but for anyone who needs it, is what you love most of all. You take Korra's hand and kiss it before sitting up and patting the free space next to you.

Korra sits down and you're still holding her hand as you start talking about what happened. About the phone call you got from the Purple Lotus, that someone who had been with them for a while wanted to speak to you, and that that person was Hiroshi. As you explained, Korra’s expression changed from confusion to apprehension and when you mentioned your dad it turned to anger.

Korra took a deep breath and released it in a sigh to calm herself, her body visibly relaxing.”Look, I don’t want you to meet with him.” Before you can interject she holds up her hand to tell you she’s not done yet. “I don’t want you to meet him because of all the hurt he caused you. I’ll never forget when you met my parents for the first time. That night you didn’t stop crying, and you were sad for at least a week. I still believe that you almost dumped me then, all because he wasn’t the father that you deserved.”

You want to say something back. Something to justify seeing him. Finally you find the words. “I know, and I can’t forgive him. But he’s been trying to understand now. And I know it’s late but if he wants to try and make up for the wrong he did, I want to let him try. If I don’t let him he can never make it up to me. And even though I can’t forgive him, I want to be able to.”

Korra is smiling at you and she squeezes your hand. Then her expression turns more serious again. “Look, I don’t like it, but I don’t have to like it. This is about you, not about me. If you think that he could have changed and wants to become the dad that he should have been before.” she puts her free hand over your heart. “That this hurt that’s inside of you because of him can be relieved by having him back in your life, then I say that you should give it a try.”

You place your hand over Korra’s hand that’s resting over your heart. Tears are streaming down your cheeks. You love her so much, you kiss her. “Thank you, Korra. I love you.”

“I love you too, Asami,” Korra replies softly.

 

***

 

The next day you dial the number of the Purple Lotus member to say that you’ll agree to talk to your dad, but only with them present. You’ve decided that you want to try this, but you don’t want to rush into it and end up hurt again. So you tread cautiously, at first it’s just phone calls with a Purple Lotus member present, then it evolves to phone calls with just the two of you. After some time, you’re convinced that he is indeed seems to be a changed man, so you ask him if he wants to have lunch with you, maybe play some pai sho like you used to. He instantly replied, saying that he would love to.

When you arrive at the place where you had planned to have lunch, you get anxious. What if your dad was just pretending all this time and this is where he will show that he hasn’t changed at all? You don’t want to believe it, but part of you does, he had hurt you before and he could do it again. Battling your current fear, you step inside and look for your father. Once you spot him, you walk up to him. Before you reach him he looks up at you and his eyes well up with tears, which are steadily streaming down his cheeks when you stand at his side.

“You’re,” his voice cracks. “Asami, You’ve become such a beautiful woman.” He wipes his tears, temporarily drying his cheeks. “You look so much like your mother.”

 

***

 

It has been twenty months since your surgery, almost two years, and you can’t imagine the current state of your life to be any better than it is. You barely have to dilate anymore, same with flushing and your vagina had completely healed about eight months ago. You and Korra have started having sex and it’s been great, amazing even, and it hasn’t taken anything away from your relationship. And then there’s your dad. He had proven that he deserved to be in your life again, to you at least. You ended up playing pai sho and catching up once a month, and after a couple of months you had slowly forgiven him for his mistakes.

When you introduced him and Korra to each other, Korra didn’t like it at all. It started rough, but slowly Korra learned to tolerate him. And eventually, after having witnessed over time how happy you are to have your dad in your life again and noticing that you didn’t get sad because of certain things that reminded you of your dad, she couldn’t help but warm up to him. Opal on the other hand continues to hate him and you can’t blame her, neither does Hiroshi.

You feel whole, you finally feel like you are the person that you were always meant to be. And now, now is finally the time to do something you have waited to do for years. Something that you have wished for time and time again. You had been on a nice dinner date with Korra, followed by a romantic ride in a turtleduck boat. You just got home and are happily cuddling on the couch when you do it.

You look at her, your arms hanging over her shoulders. “Korra, I have something for you.”

She looks at you, a confused expression on her face. “Why?”

“I just really want to give you something tonight.” You smile at her, hoping that you don’t look as nervous as you very much are. “Will you close your eyes for me?”

She brushes your hair with her hand and rests it at the back of your head. “Anything for you.” She kisses you and you almost forget what you were about to do.

You move away and stand up. “I have to get it real quick. Close your eyes, please?” Korra does as you say. You get your purse and fish out a little box from it.

You try to calm yourself, breathing in and out slowly. You can do this, this is what you’ve been wishing for for years. You’re going to make your dream come true.

You kneel in front of Korra, holding the small box in front of you. “You can open your eyes now.”

Korra opens her eyes and looks into yours, a soft smile appearing on her face. Then she notices what’s in your hands and tears begin to fill her eyes.

“Korra,” You start. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but it never felt right. Not because of you, but because I didn’t feel like I could give you all of me yet. Ever since I met you, I gave you as much of myself as I could, and I loved everything that I could give you. Now things are different, I feel complete, like I am the person I was always meant to be. And I know that now that I am whole I don’t have to settle with giving you as much as I can, because I can completely give myself to you.” You take a deep breath. ”Korra, will you marry me and give yourself to me in return?

Your vision is hazy from all of the tears getting in your way but it looks like Korra is nodding furiously. “Yes! Asami, Yes I will!” She exclaims. “I want all of you, and give myself in return. I will marry you, Asami.”

You take the necklace from its box and offer to put it on her. Korra nods and you move to sit behind her on the couch. You wrap the necklace around her neck and try to close the clasp, but with your trembling hands and teary vision you can't seem to get it.

Finally you close the clasp. You kiss the back of Korra's neck, then her shoulder, her ear and her cheek. “I love you, Korra, I love you so much.” Today has been perfect, your life couldn't be any better.

Korra puts her hand over the amulet on her necklace. “Asami, I will always love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to Shards, Picmonster and Jenna for all the help.
> 
> Shannon,
> 
> You're amazing. I wish you a good recovery and I hope you enjoy all the fics and fanart that you're getting. And I would love to ask you about your experience with this recovery sometime.
> 
> Sethy/Sophie


End file.
